The FBI on Thursday said it received “credible information of a broad threat to synagogues” in New Jersey following an uptick in antisemitism.
In a tweet on Thursday, the FBI office in Newark announced a threat against synagogues in the Garden State while providing no further specifics. The tweet read:
The FBI has received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ. We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility. We will share more information as soon as we can. Stay alert. In case of emergency call police.
“We are taking a proactive measure with this warning while investigative processes are carried out,” it added.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said that he has been in contact with the FBI as well as the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with local law enforcement to ensure that all houses of worship are protected,” Murphy wrote on Twitter.
The NYPD also said on Twitter that it has been made aware of the threats against synagogues and that it will be working with the FBI and counterterrorism task forces.
As noted by CNN, antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in recent years in the United States, “with 941 incidents in 2015 jumping to 2,717 tracked in 2021.” Antisemitic incidents have also ratcheted up in recent days in the wake of rapper and fashion mogul Kanye West making openly antisemitic statements that he has refused to apologize for or back down from. Per CNN:
The FBI’s warning on Thursday comes amid continued reports across the country of anti-Jewish bigotry, including multiple antisemitic messages that appeared in public spaces in Jacksonville, Florida, over the weekend, and a group of demonstrators who hung banners over a Los Angeles freeway earlier in October showing support for antisemitic comments that were made by Kanye West. Photos also showed the group with their arms raised in what appeared to be the Nazi salute. Los Angeles officials condemned the incident.
In his recent interview on Revolt TV’s Drinks Champs podcast hosted by rapper Noreaga, aka N.O.R.E and DJ EFN, West perpetuated other antisemitic tropes by suggesting that “Jewish people control the black voice”
“Jewish people have owned the black voice. Whether it’s through us wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt, or it’s all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager, or being signed to a Jewish basketball team, or doing a movie on a Jewish platform like Disney,” he said.